‘Aha’ moments for all students

It’s an opportunity for the ultimate “aha”moment: hands-on education where a student engages in self-guided learning and problem solving that requires them to develop new skills in a diversity of learning environments.

Karen Velasquez is trying to create as many “aha” moments for UD students as she can. The director of experiential learning in the Ryan C. Harris Learning Teaching Center works with students, staff and faculty across the University to develop skills building on this priority of the We Soar comprehensive campaign.

She points to what makes a UD experiential learning opportunity distinctive.

“Where we really excel are the ties that we make and the care that we give to connecting experiences that students have to students’ personal, academic, professional, and vocational goals and aspirations,” Velasquez said.

Hands-on learning opportunities can be part of a course or found in other endeavors, such as through internships or by participating in research.

Junior Julian Pabon is working in the lab of associate professor Sidaard Gunasekaran, using strong and flexible materials needed for a morphing wing in aerospace applications. Pabon, who is majoring in mechanical engineering, talked about how overwhelming the learning experience can sometimes feel — but he knows he’s always supported.  

“When you have the faculty and resources to support you, push you along and teach you lessons every step of the way, then you’re learning and pushing yourself further.”

At UD, mentors are passionate and invested. Students want their lives to benefit the common good. Space is provided for teachers and students to reflect and grow — and to learn and pass on what they have learned, Velasquez said.

Each January, faculty and staff share their hands-on successes at the Learning Teaching Forum on campus. In September, their experiential learning scholarship is being shared through the launch of a new journal, Research and Reflection on Learning and Teaching in Higher Education.

Velasquez said one of her goals is to scale up successful experiential learning pilot programs that are funded with seed money through her office and expand these opportunities for more students. She’s hoping that one day every UD student will experience hands-on learning in multiple ways.

“It’s in our identity as an institution,” she said.